Oil cooler



June 15, 1943. A, R MORMILE 2,322,047

OIL COOLER v Filed Marchvls, 1942 3 sheets-sheet 1 `Fume 15, 1943.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 O o mw QQ www QW O. O z @wwa Vsmw495V SSX?? im@ w\\\ nSw k @w muh m5 www June 15, 1943 A. R. MoRMlLE OIL COOLER Filed March16,V 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 I Patented .une l5, l943 .UNITED STATESPATENT oi-Fica on.' cooLnn Anthony R. Mormile, New Haven, Conn.,assignor to The G & Manufacturing Company, New Haven, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Application Maren is, 1942, serias No.434,878

. claim. (ci, 257-2) This invention relates to oil coolers such as usedfor cooling the lubricating oil of internal combustion engines and otherdevices.

Coolers of this nature have been used in which a valve-controlledby-pass structure is employed section having horizontal tubesr and alsohaving associated therewith crtain intermediate vertical Vby-passconduits,. as hereinafterr described.

for the purpose of hastening the warming up and circulation of the oilwhen the latter has been congealed by exposure to low temperatureabutprevious devices have been open to certain objections and drawbackswhich, by the present invention, it is aimed to overcome.

One of the objects of the present invention is to simplify the structureof the cooler and render itv easier to construct, more serviceable, andadapted to withstand heavy strains and stresses and rough usage, andtemperature variations throughout a very wide range.

Another object -is to provide an improved arrangement of coolingsections and by-pass conduits or passages, lending itself to a simple,compact and strong cooler structure.

To these' andppther ends' the invention consists in the novel featuresand combinations of 'partsr to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l isv a front elevationof an oil cooler embodying my improvements,thev connecting piping being omitted, as well'ascertain portions of themeans for supporting the cooler in the upright position;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device;

Fig. 2A is a somewhat diagrammatic section on line EA-Aof Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a section on an enlarged scale taken online 3 3 of Fig. 2, thevalve controlling the oil by-pass being shown in the open position; Fig.4 is a section on line 5id of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5A is a detail showing portions of the upper -header and the maincooling section as they appear before being juxtaposedvin assembiage; f

Fig. 6 is a detail endview of the valve housing showing it detached fromthe cooler body; and

' Fig. 'l is a detail sectional view of several of the cooling tubes.

In the preferred form shown in the drawings, my improved oil cooler ischaracterized by a relaf tively shallow rectangular body somewhatelongated so that its vertical dimension is considerably greater thanits lateral dimension. The depth, that is to say, the distance .from thefront face to the rear face, is, on the other hand, considerably lessthan the'lateral dimension. The main part of the body is constituted bya cooler Above-and below the main section are headers attached toandforming parts of the cooler body. e

munication with by-pass conduits arranged between certain cooler tubesections.

In the drawings, the cooler body is indicated generally at I0, the loweror receiving header at II, the upper header at I2, and the valve housingat I3. The lubricating oil coming from the motor or the like isconducted to the right-hand end (Fig. 1) of. lower header II by aconnection I6, and oil passing from the valve housing I3 is carried backto the motor or the like by a suitable connection I5 attached to housingI3. By

suitable means the cooler is rigidly supported, when in use, in the,vertical position shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and in this particularinstance I have shown brackets I5 and II attached to the upper and lowerheaders, respectively, constituting one means by which the cooler can befastened to a suitable support.

The main cooling section extends from the rlower header to the upperheader, and in this particular case comprises three portions or banks ofcooling tubes, namely, a middle portion I8 and two end portions whichare indicated at I9 and 20, respectively. Interposed between portions I8and I9 is a vertical by-pass conduit or passage 2I, and between portionsI8 and 2t is a second by-pass conduit 22, and it may be observed that inthis particular case the cooling tube capacity available atl oppositelateral faces of each by-pass conduit is substantially the same, thisbeing accomplished by properly dimensioning the 'middle -tube portion I8with respect to portions I9 and 20.

The by-pass conduits 2i and 22 are co-exten- Vsive in depth with theassociated cooling core portions, having exposed front and rear facesflush or substantially flush, with the mouths of the horizontal airpassages. .Inv this particular case the by-pass conduits are ofelongated rectangular cross-section. the elongationbeing depth-wise ofthe core.

In the form shown, the headers are constructed of sheet metal, and havethe rounded crosssectional form shown, for example, in Fig. 4, the bodyportions of rounded cross-sectional form being provided at the front andrear with lateral securing flanges. In Fig. 4 the lateral ange which isat the front of the lower header is indicated at 23, and it will be seenthat it-ex tends Afrom the body of the header to the front face of thecooling section. A similar ilange 24 is provided on the header at therear, the flanges 28 and 24 underlying the horizontal cooling tubes 25,and also underlying lower corner portions of the conduits 2|, 22, asshown in Fig. 4.

From the lower ends oi' the conduits 2|, 22,l

portions 26 are bent down so as to extend to a degree into the interiorof the lower header these portions 26 providing mouths or entrances atthe lower ends of the conduits into which oil is supplied from adistributing tube 21 extending lengthwise of the lower header. Thisheader has at the right-hand end (Fig. 3) an opening 26, and one end ofthe tube 21 is fastened to the header so as to be in communication withthis opening 28. At the opposite end, the distributing tube 21 isrigidly supported within the header by suitable means, as, for example,by bending up a portion 29 at the end of the tube, and attaching it bymeans such as rivet 30 to the end wall of the header. This tube 21 isprovided with suitable upper distributing openings for facilitatingpassage of oil in the proper amount and proportions to the lower ends ofthe conduits 2| and 22, and the lower ends of the cooling portions I6,i9. 2G. In this particular instance an opening 2| is provided in thedistributing tube below cooling portion 20, an opening 32 is providedbelow and in line with the lower mouth of conduit 22. another opening 33is similarly provided in association with conduit 2|, and an opening 34is provided beneath cooling portion I9. Such an arrangement providesvery effective distribution of the oil coming in at the inlet, but isshown only by way of example.

The cooling tubes 25 are provided with en-` larged hexagonal endportions95 so that when the tubes are placed in a bank with the ends orheads abutted against each other in the relation shown in Fig. "I, thebody portions 25il of the tubes are spaced apart to provide passagesthroih which the oil may pass upwardly while air is passing through thetubes substantially horizontally. In order to conform to the lowermosttubes which are supported thereon. the header flange 23 is provided withbent zig-zag portions 36, 31 and l35, as shown particularly in Fig. 1,and in the places Where the flange underlies and supports portionsrequired for locating and holding the associated tube heads. Additionalller strips 48 are also used in association with the right-hand wall ofthe conduit 2| (Fig. 3), and similar iller strips are also used at bothsides of the conduit 22.

At the right-hand side of the core the construcof the by-pass conduits,it is provided with at portions 39. It is to be understood, of course.that the corresponding flange 24 at the rear is similarly formed, andalso that the upper header |2 has correspondinglyformed front and rearsecuring flanges 40 and 4|.

It will be observed from Fig. 3 that the end walls 42 and 43 of thelower header are extended upwardlv somewhat beyond the level of theflanges 23, 24. Similarly, the end wall 44 and 45 of the upper'headerare continued downwardly somewhat beyond the flanges 40 and 4|. -It willbe observed from Fig. 3 also that adjacent the' left-hand boundary ofthe tubesl of portion I9 a tion is the same as at the left-hand side,there being another corrugated tube-head-seating plate 46, and anotherplate 41 at the exterior.

At ,their upper ends each of the conduits 2|' and 22 is provided with anopen flanged portion 48 extending upwardly somewhat into the upperheader, which in plan is' of a generally elliptical shape. Each portion49 serves to receive a leg of a manifold 50 located in the upper header.This manifold is preferably formed as a casting, and it has a hollowtubular body 5| in communication at the left-hand end (Fig. 3) with ahollow leg 52, the lower end of which is inserted into flanged portion49 of conduit 2|. Adjacent the right-hand end (Fig. 3) the manifold hasa simiassembled. The legs 52 and 53are of substantially ellipticalcross-section, and so is the body portion 50 of the manifold. The lug 54is associated with the left-hand end of the manifold (Fig. 3) and thelug 55 near the right-hand end. At the right-hand end of the manifold(Fig. 3)

f the same is enlarged. and of round open formation, as indicated at 56.This provides removable telescoping connection with'a short tube orsleeve 51 leading to and fastened in an open portion or port 58 in theadjacent end wall of the header. The header end wall also has anadditional opening or port 59, preferably of elliptical shape, as shownin Fig. 5,' located below opening 56, and providing an additionalpassage in communication with the interior of the valve housing I3previously mentioned. The opening 58 is approximately in line with thebore in the body of the manifold, and the opening 59 is only slightlyabove the adjacent bank of cooling tubes. VThe manifold 50 can beinstalled with considerable ease, as the manifold legs can be connectedto the by-pass conduits merely by thrusting them therein.

The valve housing i3 has a chambered interior and is equipped with avalve seat 60 horizontally arranged adjacent the right-hand end (Fig. 3)of a duct or passage 6| in communication with the opening 5B previouslymentioned. The valve disengage it.. .Preferably the valve device 64 issupported by and reacts against an adjustable screw-threaded plug 66 inthe lower part of the valve housing, and the valve may be controlled inits operation by suitable thermostatic means` such as a gas-lled metalbellows or corrugated shell 61 such as commonly used for thermostaticcontrol. Also the valve may be under the ccntrol of a. spring such asthe helical spring, 68 placed beneath the valve stem in a suitablesocket $9 provided adjacent the inner face of the plug 66. The chamber63 is in communicaticn with an outlet 1l! provided on the valve housing,and in communication with the pipe' I5 or other ccnnection back to themotor or other apparatus. It will be seen from Fig. 3 that oil inpassage 6I will be deflected by a curved wall 1I if the valve seat isopen, and will pass downwardly through the valve seat into chamber 63,and thence upwardly to outlet 10. 0n the other hand, oil passing intothe valve housing through the .port v62 will move approximatelyhorizontally around the valve, and thence in a slightly upward course tooutlet 10.

Preferably the-housing I3 is provided at the inlet end with a ange 12 bymeans of which it is detachably connectedV as by screws 13 to acorresponding flange 14 that is suitably fastened to the adjacent endwall of the upper header. The port S2 is formed directly in this flangedend wall of the housing, and the passage 6I through this end wall. 'llhesecuring flange 16 on the right-hand end of the upper header (Fig. 3)has an opening 6I registering with the passage Si and with the interiorof sleeve 51, and is provided with a port 59a registering with port 59and port 62, and between this flange and the flange of, the valvehousing suitable packing material is interposed, as shown at 15. f

In the operation ofmy improved cooler, oil is supplied to the lowerheader at the right-hand end (Fig. 3), and under conditions of moderate-temperature the oil feeding' upwardlyv from the openings of thedistributing-tube of the lower f header will pass upwardly through thecooling portions IS, IB and 20. Under these circum-g stances, the valvedevice 56 will be in the closed position, the expansion of the bellowsbeing sulficient in degree to hold the valve proper againstA the seat5u. This will prevent circulation of oil upwardly through theconduits ZIand 22 and through the manifold 58 connected to said con y into thevalve housing I3 by way of the port 62,

around the valve, to the outlet 10, and thence w back to the mechanismwhich is being lubricated. In this manner the oil, while beingcirculated, is cooled in a very effective manner by the air passingthrough the tubes 25. There is an additional cooling effect under thesecircumstances owing to Athe-extraction of heat from those faces of `theconduits 2l and 22 which are exposed to the air,

into which faces heat is carried from the cooling' tubes adjacent theconduits.

In starting the motor or the like, or at other times, there may be acondition in which the oil in the tubular sections is congealed, so thatoil cannot' take the course` of ow mentioned above,

extends When the oil or can do so only to a', limited degree. Underthese conditions, however, the thermostatically controlled valve device64 (having been set to open at a predetermined temperature) is open andtherefore permits upward circulation of the oil through the conduits 2land 22. Therefore oil, coming into .the distributing tube 21, can passupwardly through openings 32 and 33 into-the lower ends of the conduits,and can move upwardly in the conduits in a straight course so as toenter the manifold 50 and then pass by a substantially straight path tothe valve seat 60, and thence to the outlet 10. Hot oil, moving upwardlythrough the conduits 2i and 22. in this way, will quickly warm up theoil in the cooling sections. and this oil will start circulating, takingthecourse previously described. Oil moving up through conduit 2l passesinto leg 52 of the manifold and through the body of the manifold, andyat a certain point is joined by the body of oil passing upwardlythrough conduit 22, and these bodies of oil, mixed together, passthrough the sleeve 51 and passage BI. When a certain temperature isattained in the region of the valve device (this being a properlyselected temperature), the valve closes so as to eliminate any furthercirculating of the oil through the by-pass system which in thisparticular case is provided by the vertical passages in Iili the core,the manifold, with its associated maniiosld sleeve 51, and by a part ofthe valve housing The valve spring 68 is used in addition to the bellows61 as a matter of precaution. Should the valve stick in the closedposition under improper operation of the bellows, at a time when thebypassing of the oil should occur, the downward pressure of the oilabove the valve seat 60, when a certain pressure has built up, willcause the valve to open by a thrust overcoming the supporting action ofthe spring. It is understood, however, that while I have shown hereinthe valve as being under the control of a thermostatic element and alsoa resilient element, the particular valve control means is not importantin the broader aspects ofthe invention.

` It is of distinct advantage that the cooler of my invention is of asimple, compact and rugged character and not likely to get out of order.The by-pass conduits used in connection with the tubular cooling bodyare straight,- which facilitates circulation, and on the other handample by-pass capacity for the intended purposes is provided. It is ofadvantage also that the by-pass conduits used in multiple are incommunication with a common receiver or manifold which carries the oilin a very direct manner to the valve seat. It is also of advantagethat-there is direct and facile communication betweenthe upper ends ofthe tubular cooling portions and the hot oil outlet of the device. Otheradvantages of my new structure will also be obvious to those skilled inthe art;

It will be understood that in manufacturing the oil cooler, the coolingsection comprising the in-l dividual tubes and the interposed by-passconduits can be readily built up. The headers with their interior partsin position can then be placed against the ends of the cooling section,with their flanges lying in contact withthe ends of the conduits andwith the enlarged ends of the adjacent cooling tubes. Then by dippingthe respect1ve face portions of the assembly in solder, the individualcooling tubes are secured together in a body and secured to theconduits, and the headers secured to the cooling section. Inmanufacturing the cooler, all of the various fastenings or securementsfnecessary between the structural parts can be made very easily.

In the case shown in the drawings there are two by-pass conduits, eachcentrally arranged in a section of the cooler disposed at one side of avertical center line. In some cases, however, the number of the conduitsmay be varied. also their arrangement. In the case shownin the drawings,the cooling sections are made up from individual cooling tubes, as thisis regarded as preferable, but in some instances the tube structurecomprising the horizontal air passages and the substantially uprightliquid passages may be constructed from bent and folded metal sheets.The heat exchange structure can also be used for other purposes than theregulation of the temperature of lubricating oil.

While I have shown herein only one form of my improved device, it is tobe understood that the invention can take various forms, and thatvarious changes in the organization of parts and in the details may bemade without departing `from the principles of my invention or the scopeof the claim.

What I claim is:

An oil cooler comprising a tubular cooling secof said cooler section, alower header having an inlet for oil to be cooled, means in said headerfor distributing oil to the oil passages of the coolin'g section and tothe-lower ends of the by-pass conduits, an upper header having itsinterior in communication with the oil passages of the cool'- ingsection and having a discharge for oil issuing from the oil passages. ofthe cooling section, said upper header also having a second discharge. amanifold within the upper header having a hollow body and hollow legs,the legs being in communication with the upper ends of said by-passconduits and said manifold being adapted to carry oil from Asaidconduits to said second discharge, a valve housing having portionsrespectively in communication with the respective discharges of theupper header and divided from each other by a valve seat, and a valveadapted to engage and disengage saidvalve seat and adapted to controlby-passing of the oil through the bypass conduits and the manifold.

ANTHONY R. MORMILE.

